•Francisca Ordega is one of standard bearers of Nigerian women’s football •The talented striker has played club football on four different continents •Participation in U-17 and U-20 World Cups put her on the road to stardom
As a youngster, Francisca Ordega, or ‘Franny’ as she is known, was in no doubt about what she wanted to do in life – and it had nothing to do with football. “I wanted to be an actress,” she told FIFA.com with a laugh.
Back then the young Nigerian played football with her brothers and friends just for fun, and it remained that way until she was selected to be a ball-girl for an international involving the national U-19 women’s team. “As I watched them play and saw how the crowd cheered them on, I got very excited and thought, ‘I want to do that too – have the crowd watch me and then thrill them'. It was simply amazing.”
Ordega, in brief •Striker, 24 years old. Currently plays for Atletico Madrid, on loan from Washington Spirit
•Born in Gboko, Nigeria, she is one of 12 siblings
•Her two main assets are her power and speed
•She has been a Nigeria international since U-17 level
After deciding to pursue a career in football, Franny knew only two things for certain: that the road ahead would be a long and difficult one; and that getting her mother’s approval would be no easy thing.
“In Africa, the footballing infrastructure is not like in Europe, where you have all these age categories. Back home, you need to have talent and really push yourself. When I decided to become a footballer, I said to myself: ‘If you want to make it, you need to work hard. You need to train, watch the pros play, study how they move, how they control the ball…’”
And if that challenge were not enough, there was also her mother’s opposition to overcome. “She didn’t want me playing football in case it interfered with my studies.” Nor was the environment she found herself in very conducive to her career choice.
“It is hard. Families didn’t support girls if they opted for this, nor did their friends and those around them… But things are different now. These days a lot of parents want their daughters to play. I think our generation has inspired a lot of people to follow suit, and, what with social media and all that, we’re everywhere. Girls tell you ‘I want to be like you when I grow up’, and I encourage them.”
To date, Ordega has featured in four FIFA World Cups: the U-17 edition in 2010, the U-20 one of 2012, as well as the senior World Cups of 2011 and 2015. All four tournaments have had a major impact on her career, especially the youth ones. Indeed, it was her call-up to the U-17 national team that convinced her mother that her future lay in football.
Trinidad & Tobago 2010: the first taste
“It was my first time abroad and we had to face the hosts. Never before had I played in front of so many people. I spoke to my Dad before the game and he said to me: ‘there’s no need to be afraid. Just go out there and be yourself.’ I told my team-mates that if I scored, I’d do a dance in front of our fans – and that’s exactly what I did. While it wasn’t my first goal at that tournament, we were drawing 1-1 at the time, so it was a winning goal. I just went crazy.”
“The memories of this one are not so good, but it was all worth it in the end. I sprained my ankle in the first fixture, and I played with it in subsequent games, which was tough. They gave me injections to play, but when I used to take off the ankle support I’d cry with the pain. Our physio wanted me to stop playing but I said, ‘if I’ve managed to get this far, my ankle isn’t going to stop me’. In the end I finished as our top-scorer, and when my agent later told me I’d been offered the chance to play in Russia, I thought to myself ‘mission accomplished’.”
This year France and Uruguay will respectively host the FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups, and Nigeria will be appearing at both. “It’s a great opportunity for these girls,” said Ordega, drawing on her own experience. “At the moment, when they play not many people notice or could tell you who the best player is, because the games aren’t broadcast. However, at the World Cup they’ll have lots of clubs and agents monitoring them. That’s when everyone will be watching their every move.”
Did you know…?
•She's a fan of English football: Ordega grew up watching the Premier League along with her older brother. Their earliest idols were Thierry Henry –“from the very first time I saw him” – and Fernando Torres –“I shed a tear when I finally met him after joining Atleti”.
•Globetrotter: Since 2012, the striker has played in Russia, Sweden, the USA, Australia and Spain. “Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. I’ve learned so much from all the different coaches and players, and from the distinct cultures and countries. That has also helped me grow as a person."
Elove1: Wow are you telling me she bought this house with her football skills or bedmatic skills I just comment my reserve Anyway success is success in anyway says my ibadan brothers
Naija4love: wayting man do, see as him they talk mum like na only mum do the thing that bring him to this world God why wayting we man do
flamingREED: Men, be wise. Save for your old age. You see that being a father means your reward is in heaven. Be wise as it seems many fathers have died of neglect in silence. Men, be wise.
Acidosis: Congrats "mom"? "Best mom in the world"? And your dad is everywhere in the picture? Man even sat on the chair like a king.
I pity African men sha! This wan na ridicule from a useless daughter. If you're going to eulogise your mom, then save your father the ridicule by not inviting him.
Is that her dad sitting?? Why sidelining fathers even after so many sacrifices.
Your dad had 5k durin the weekend hoping to buy 3k fuel for his car for the coming work week. You came to his bedroom on Sunday morning to ask for some 5k needed in school, that you never told him before. He yelled, angrily but still gave you 4k keeping 1k for himself(his plan is that he won't buy fuel again but that he would use a pub to work for that week with the 1k left).
You left Dad's room unhappy because he gave u 4k out of 5k with a weak "thanks sir"
Met your mom and told him to talk to her hubby..why? Asked your mom "he only gave you 4k from 5k u asked"
Your mom said don't worry I will give u money. She entered her wardrobe to add 2k to your already 4k to equal 6k. It means u still have 1k left after school 5k You got to school on Monday, update your WhatsApp status littered with your mom's pictures. " You are the best mom in thr world" Your dad's pic was no wherr to be seen on your status neither any eulogising. Do we call him the worst dad in the world?
This what many dad's go through.
They will only build houses for mom and never dad.
Watching Amvca days ago, everyone that dedicated awards to parents only did to their moms. No person mentioned their dads.
Does it mean No father is good?
gypsey: It's strange no one ever asks, how did she make the money for the house? not even parents. Nigerian parents never ask their sons or daughters how they make money as long as they build house for them.
toobusy: what about the father,why wasn't he mentioned here or is he dead.......why all the emphasis on just the mother alone,it is high time the role of a father in a child's upbringing starts getting the recognition and accolades it deserves
magzey: May be her father is late that's why she dedicated to her mum not parent.
vinceobe: The question I want to us is this: Where is the father?
Stevecovey: maybe her father is a polygamist and lives apart from her mum.
Gosh! There’s a lot of ignorance on this thread.
Francisca Ordega has been playing abroad since 2012. In fact, she’s the only member of the Super Falcons that has played on every continent of the world apart from Antarctica. FIFA did a special article to celebrate the fact that she has played everywhere.
She moved to Russia in 2012 and she also played in Sweden (both in Europe). She then moved to Washington Spirit in the United States, where she scored a lot of goals and was an important member of the team (you can see some of her goals in the video below).
She went on loan to Sydney FC in 2016-2017 and then she also went on loan to Atletico Madrid from 2017-2018 (you can see her pictures with Fernando Torres and Diego Costa below).
Finally, when Chinese teams were spending large sums of money to buy the best African female players, Shanghai Shenhua bought her in 2019. The Chinese teams pay a lot of money to their players and in fact, Asisat Oshoala had to take a pay cut to move to Barcelona. She can definitely afford what she’s doing for her parents.
She bought a car for her father in December. It was his Christmas present (he had previously stated what he wanted) and she promised that she would build a house for her mom’s birthday in February. She stated that she had never seen her dad dance like the way he did when she presented the car to him. This is a video of the presentation of the car to her father.
naptu2: Francisca Ordega (of Washington Spirit) scores two goals, forces the defender to score an own goal and provides the assist for the second goal.
Sports › Re: Francisca Ordega Builds House For Her Mother (Photos) by naptu2: 9:30am On Mar 17, 2020
